Mobile maintenance carriages are installed for servicing the workstations of textile machines which possess a plurality of like workstations, these being spinning, thread, or spooling machines. The maintenance carriages require on their own inspections from time to time in order to uphold their functional ability. Furthermore, an inspection of a mobile maintenance carriage is a required matter, especially when repetitive operative failures occur, to restore the functional integrity of the carriage. For such remedial action, it is a known practice to run the maintenance carriage to the end of the textile machine where the running rail of a machine""s longitudinal side is connected with the running rail of the other longitudinal side of the machine by a bowed rail. Since the bowed rail, because of its curvature, is set away from the textile machine the desired degree of accessibility to the mechanisms of the mobile maintenance carriage becomes available. At the same time, the accessibility to the workstations of the textile machine for the machine attendants is not obstructed by the maintenance carriage. However, the disadvantage lies therein that the upkeep work on the maintenance carriage is carried out at a distance from the workstations of the textile machine. This is especially troublesome if, as a result of wear at individual workstations, a particularly careful correction by the maintenance carriage is required. In such a case, the maintenance carriage must be moved back and forth between its own servicing position on the bowed rail and the workstation where attention is needed.
DE 36 02 961 A1 has already made known that the maintenance carriage, while it is still on the longitudinal running rail of the textile machine, can be brought into an inspection position transverse to its normal travel direction. To carry this out, a section of the running rail on which the maintenance carriage normally patrols along the side of the textile machine is made to be movable in a direction at right angles to its longitudinal course. This transversely movable section of the running rail is located at a definite point on either longitudinal side of the textile machine. Consequently, at this point the distance between the workstation to be serviced and the maintenance carriage is smaller than that in the case of a repair operation on the maintenance carriage at the bowed section of the running rail. In addition to this, as before, it is not possible to carry out a repair on the maintenance carriage close up to a chosen workstation.
Thus it is the purpose of the present invention to create an apparatus in accord with the generic type which will permit inspection and repair of the traveling maintenance carriage in the direct neighborhood of any chosen workstation. By this means, it will be possible to carry out in a time sparing manner, a common service for the workstation as well as the maintenance carriage, which enables an optimal accommodation of both the workstation and the maintenance carriage. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
The above purpose is achieved by the features of an apparatus for the maintenance of a mobile maintenance carriage which travels over running rails along a plurality of like workstations of a textile machine which could provide service to one of these workstations. The maintenance carriage can be brought into an inspection position transverse to its travel direction, the maintenance carriage comprises a chassis for travel along the plurality of workstations as well as a robot which is so placed on the chassis that it can be moved relative to the chassis and transverse to the travel direction into the inspection position and be brought back therefrom. The purpose is also achieved by an apparatus where the robot in its inspection position creates between the textile machine and itself a traversable passage, the width of which measures at least 40 cm. Alternatively, the width of the passage can essentially measure 50 cm. By means of a separation of the maintenance carriage into a chassis, which always remains on the running rails, and into a characteristic robot with those mechanisms which are required for coactive services at the workstation, the robot can be removed far enough from the workstation, that first the area of the robot facing the workstation, and second the workstation both become accessible.
The mobility of the robot on its travel chassis can be achieved in different ways. For instance, this can be accomplished with the aid of an appropriate rod in order to create a compact, precise guidance and allow placement of the robot independently of its position relative to its chassis.
To do this, the maintenance carriage would be designed in accord with an apparatus where the chassis exhibits two guide rods for the robot which extend themselves transverse to the direction of travel of the chassis. Since movements of the maintenance carriage, that is, its robot, into a position transverse to the chassis are not expected to occur all too often, generally, a preferred development of the apparatus exists where the guide rods are part of a sliding guidance.
Advantageously, the object of the invention is further improved by means of an apparatus where the robot on its side and proximal to the textile machine seizes the guide rods of the chassis with the aid of guide pieces from the underside. This occurs while the robot on its side remote from the textile machine with the aid of guide pieces seats itself upon the top of the guide rods. Such a design assures, in a simple manner, a guidance of the robot stabilized against tipping over, even during a movement from close to the workstations into its repair location at a distance from the workstations, or also in the reverse movement.
If, because of technical developments, fully new principles of usage appear which call for a far reaching changed construction of the robot, then in accord with a design of the apparatus the robot is removably affixed on the chassis. An exchange of the robot suffices, so that the chassis can accept a new robot. The same applies, naturally, when a robot because of time consuming repair thereon is removed from its place on the textile machine and another already rehabilitated robot takes its place.
To secure the robot in its operational position near to the textile machine, it is advantageous if the robot in its service position is secured in relation to the chassis with the aid of a locking device. Preferably, the maintenance carriage is provided with a limit switch or the like for monitoring the faultless occupation of the service position and/or the inspection position of the robot. In a further embodiment of the object of the invention an apparatus by which each longitudinal side of the textile machine is assigned at least two like maintenance carriages is provided. Here, the limit switch of a maintenance carriage is connected to a central control which is programmed in such a manner that upon the removal of the robot of a maintenance carriage from its service position, at least one of the other maintenance carriages is assigned the released service stretch. This said limit switch can so act, by means of a central control apparatus, that upon the release of a portion of or all of an assigned service stretch by one maintenance carriage, another maintenance carriage can take over the service work to the textile machine work in the portion so released.
In order to permit the mechanisms of the robot to be subject to control, even when the robot takes up a repair position distant from the workstation, an improvement of the described apparatus is made. This being an apparatus where the chassis is connected with a first energy conducting cable to the textile machine and with the aid of a second energy conducting cable is connected to the robot. During the relative motion between the chassis and the robot, the supply connection between the chassis and the robot is held secure.
So that, during an upkeep operation on the maintenance carriage, the services on the other longitudinal side of the textile machine will not be put to disadvantage, the textile machine is advantageously constructed. This includes an apparatus where the textile machine on each longitudinal machine side possesses a plurality of like workstations as well as a separate running rail for at least one mobile, maintenance carriage comprised of a chassis and a robot. The service position for the maintenance carriage need no longer be in the arc of the curved portion of the running rails. This is because an embodiment exists where the running rails of the two longitudinal machine sides exhibit no connection between one another. The curved end piece of running rail may be dispensed with. For this situation, the design in accord with the invention of the described apparatus exists in an apparatus the running rails of a longitudinal machine side exceed the longitudinal side service stretch of a plurality of like workstations, at least on the one end by at least the width of a maintenance carriage. Since by an upkeep operation of lengthy duration on the maintenance carriage itself, this carriage may be removed from the longitudinal area of the textile machine, wherein a plurality of workstations are to be found, so that these workstations, during said duration, can be serviced by another maintenance carriage and hence are not left abandoned.
Since the running rails extend themselves along the entire textile machine side without transversely oriented sections, the chassis can be adjusted in a simple manner in reference to the running rails and accordingly also in regard to workstations. The robot travels in relation to the running rails in a predetermined movement, so that the position thereof in relation to the workstations is always occupied without fault. In the course of time, it can occur that because of wear, the mobile rollers working together with the running rails cause a change in the exact positioning of the of the robot. Remedial action becomes available advantageously through a design of the maintenance carriage in accord with an apparatus where the chassis to coact with the running rails possesses guidance and support rollers which are eccentrically mounted in bearings. This has its own individual importance, because a design of this kind is not only of advantage in combination with the above, but is also of value with maintenance apparatuses of different kinds, which do not possess robots separable from a chassis.
The apparatus in accord with the invention makes possible the upkeep of the maintenance carriage in the area of an optional workstation of the textile machine, wherein no changes in consideration of energy conservation or spool care of the textile machine become necessary.
Since robot upkeep at each optional position on the longitudinal side of the textile machine can be carried out, it is no longer a requirement that the two textile machine longitudinal sides need be bound together by the bowed running rail piece, which piece enabled the maintenance carriage to be brought into this curved zone for its own upkeep.